Shashi Tharoor trailing in Kerala's capital; lotus begins to bloom

All the 20 parliamentary constituencies in Kerala went to polls in the third round the of seven-phased Lok Sabha election on April 23.

Thiruvananthapuram: Shashi Tharoor is trailing against BJP’s Kummanam Rajasekharan from Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. Just a couple of hours ago, Tharoor had tweeted, “D-Day at last! Will it be D for Deliverance for the nation from 5 years of misgovernance, ineptitude & bigotry, or D for Disappointment & Despair for all who believe in #InclusiveIndia, responsible governance, liberal social values & economic justice. (SIC)” He had begun to trail, while BJP candidate Kummanam Rajasekharan is leading at this point in time.

The Bharatiya Janata Party believes that its candidate Kummanam Rajasekahran could beat Shashi Tharoor of the Congress. Should that happen, the BJP will record its first Lok Sabha victory in the southern state.

Even the exit polls predicted that NDA will open its account in Kerala by winning the Thiruvananthapuram seat. This constituency saw a triangular battle among the current MP Shashi Tharoor, BJP's Kummanam Rajasekharan and former Kerala minister C Divakaran of the Communist Party of India(CPI).

After resigning from the post as Mizoram Governor, Kummanam Rajasekharan offered worship at the Sabarimala shrine. As per the request of the RSS and the BJP, Rajasekharan relinquished his post to contest the Lok Sabha election from Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala. The RSS has presented Rajasekharan’s involvement in Aranmula protests and several other issues at Sabarimala, before the BJP national president Amit Shah.

The RSS's stand is that his participation in the Sabarimala issue will remain vital for the party.